California Wines & Wineries

An Open Love Letter from Wine to Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z and Millennials

Posted on April 17, 2025 Updated on April 17, 2025

Dear Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, Millennials, etc.,

This is your shunned friend Wine. I thought since you seem to be dissing me, I wanted to recap why our relationship is on the rocks. While having been around for thousands of years and more recently with your parents, the Baby Boomers, I (wine) have had a dynamic relationship and growing relationship. However, recently I have been shunned by you my “alphabet generation” friends and wanted to address the issues.

You have repeatedly stated that I (wine) is too complex and ethereal to comprehend. I find that amusing in that you my “alphabet friends” can magically work smart phone, smart television screens, computers, smart watches and the who knows what new fandangle devices that will be forthcoming with the ease of cutting butter with a hot knife. Then you add software and applications which even my true friends the Baby Boomers often struggle with, you do without even a thought.

Yes, I do have my own terminology and with quirky language like appellation, residual sugar, malolactic fermentation, MOG, barrel toasting, left bank, right bank, etc. But that pales in comparison to just getting your pictures transferred from your phone to a computer. For example, connecting a phone to a computer via USB or Bluetooth (thought that happened when you drank too much Petit Verdot), then look up file explorer, then use cloud storage (where the bloody world is that? whereas I (wine) am right in front of you in the real world), enable file transfer, copy and paste, go to cloud service website, use a WiFi photo transfer, and on and on. My dear “alphabet friends” you can do this like twiddling your thumbs without a thought. That is only one application and most “alphabet friends” having 50 to 100 applications on just one device! I (wine) think you can spend a few minutes a day trying to understand me, my beautiful aroma, my graceful tastes  and appreciate who I am! Fortunately, I don’t cry in my bottle but I occasionally need to be caressed.

An often complaint you have voiced to me (wine) is that I disguise myself with too many choices beyond the normal Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc. I lurk in back rooms with the likes of Assyrtiko, Picpoul Blanc, Albariño, Dornfelder, Cabernet Franc, Lemberger, Lagrein, Carmenere, Nebbiolo, etc. Yes I hang out with many of my kind at last count 13,500 varieties at per authorities. So if you want choice, I (wine) can accommodate you. Just don’t pick up a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and dismiss me as having too many tannins or being too oaky, try a mellower Merlot or Cabernet Franc? If you don’t like the citrus flavors in a Sauvignon Blanc, try a Bourboulenc or Picpoul Blanc?? Remember you don’t hang around for 7,000 to 8,000 years being a “flash in the pan”. You “alphabet folks” have only had “smart things” since the advent of the transistor and semiconductor technology. So think about who is “smarter”? Experience speaks for itself. I (wine) am happy to coexist with your technology and in fact include many innovations in the growing and production of many of my wine friends.

I (wine) have heard you talk about how expensive I am. Well, compare me to your smart cars, exotic vacations, electric vehicles, flights around the world, etc. and I am bargain. I don’t only reside on 5^th Avenue NY or Paris, France; I can be seen at many local restaurants and grocery stores in every city at an affordable price. Yes, some of my brothers and sisters, are a bit “stuck up” and believe they are all royalty of different kind costing thousands of dollars. But the same can be said of rare cars, superstar professional sneakers, houses on remote beaches, tropical islands, etc. Quality can exist within everyone’s means and not just the one percenters.

I (wine) know I have some issues like storage and transportability, but isn’t that a small thing compared to what I have to offer? I (wine) can offer you sexiness (Pinot Noir), brute strength (Cabernet Sauvignon or Plavac Mali), light heartiness (Chardonnay), spiciness (Zinfandel or Sauvignon Blanc), thought provoking (Cabernet Franc) and many more characteristics of a solid relationship. It has been documented that I (wine) can also provide when drinking in moderation provides healthy antioxidants in fighting inflammation and heart disease.

I know that the “alphabet group” are looking at seltzer drinks, carbonation everything, non-alcohol drinks, alternative packaging (cardboard, cans) but really??  That is like substituting sawdust for a filet mignon. I (wine) am authentic, experienced, come in many forms and have a known history. Can’t we get along? My heart longs for yesterday’s passion that I once shared with other.

Longing again for a relationship, your friend,

Wine, until the end of time.

(story by Michael Kelly, https://californiawinesandwineries.com)